Quitting during Orientation!!?? Help!!
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So I have a question, can you give your two week notice during orientation and still be oriented for the last two weeks? Or can they ask/force you to leave immediately?
I have only been orienting... Read More

Aug 12, '12

I wish I had a dollar for every student in my class back when I was in nursing school that said, and every young new grad that I work with now that say, that they are only going to work Med/Surg until they can get into any part of OB, including PP! Do you realize how many people would snap up your current job and dump Med/Surg to do it? Med/Surg is no bowl of cherries, that's for sure, and, at least where I work, probably at least 50-60% of the Med/Surg nurses are only marking time until they can fly the coop to something else.

That said, you kind of sound like you have already made up your mind to accept the Med/Surg position, based on how you keep mentioning that it is only five minutes from your house, which is important, I'm not trying to diminish it, just saying that you keep bringing up the pro to the new job and the perceived cons (not much more to learn, won't get new skills) of your current job, so if your mind is already made up and you are 100%, without a doubt, ready to go for the Med/Surg job, then I would call the company with the new Med/Surg job first thing tomorrow (since today in Sunday and HR won't be open) and accept the position. Make sure that you have the position for sure (get it in writing, if possible), and then contact current PP job immediately after that and tell them what is going on. They will not be happy, and these types of situations are never easy or fun, but they can't force you to stay, so they will probably just tell you that there's no need for further orientation, goodbye, and don't apply here again in the future (in so many words).

Last edit by westieluv on Aug 12, '12

Aug 12, '12

You said you are bored and there is nothing else to learn. How long have you been there? 2 weeks and you have learned it all?

Last edit by loriangel14 on Aug 13, '12

Aug 12, '12

Never burn bridges. Once, in high school, I had a well paying office job. However, being young, I quit without notice and that placed me on the do not rehire list. Then, about 4 years later, I tried applying for a position in that company. Guess what... Didn't even get an interview because of what I did four YEARS earlier when I was 16!

If you leave orientation, chances are you will never be hired in that hospital. What if you start the new job and absolutely loathe it? I'd stay where you are for a year then start looking if you still don't like it.

So I have a question, can you give your two week notice during orientation and still be oriented for the last two weeks? Or can they ask/force you to leave immediately?
I have only been orienting as a RN for about 3 weeks. I love the people and everything worked there for 4.5 yrs as a CNA, but want something more so I don't lose my skills. I got an offer on a Med/Surg unit which I think will help me in the long run for other future opportunities since the unit I am in Post partum won't really get me to much places. Can someone please help!?

1. You've been a CNA at your current hospital for 4.5 years.
2.They were willing to promote you to RN so that means they are willing to invest a lot in you rather than hire some outsider. This also means there room for advancement at your current location.
3.They obviously worked around your schedule while you were a CNA so that you can go to nursing school to become an RN. That should say something to you....they obviously like you and are willing to do what it takes to retain you and you obviously like working there.
4. Already knowing all the staff at your current location is a huge advantage...not just knowing, but actually like them.
5. You won't be in post partum forever, your employer is just probably getting your feet wet before they throw you into another area.

You already have a solid foundation there. I would not risk such a relationship with your current employeer just for a job closer. You might hate your new team. Remeber you will be the outsider. You will be the newbie. There's just too much ifs and unknows, especially in this economy. I' d stay there for a year and maybe eventually you can rotate to other areas at your current employer.

Aug 12, '12

Mannurse2b or everyone else- Let me ask this, does it matter about burning bridges if I will not go back there again? Because my husband wants to move in a yr or so to a different state and I know how hard it was to find a job here without experience/ especially Med Surg experience so whenever I do move I will not have that experience and make it harder to find a job. So I kind of think PP will not give me that experience. Because anytime any PP RN on my unit tries to go anywhere else they tend not to get hired because they "don't have experience."

Aug 12, '12

Since I am getting a lot of "don't burn your bridges and you might need to go back" comments.
Let me ask this, does it matter about burning bridges if I will not go back there again? Because my husband wants to move in a yr or so to a different state and I know how hard it was to find a job here without experience/ especially Med Surg experience so whenever I do move I will not have that experience and make it harder to find a job. So I kind of think PP will not give me that experience. Because anytime any PP RN on my unit tries to go anywhere else they tend not to get hired because they "don't have experience."

Aug 12, '12

Be aware that when/if you move when they verify employment with your current employer (where you wish to resign mid-orientation) you are likely to be marked as "not eligible for rehire" status that may be more detrimental to future employment than whether or not you have a year of med-surg experience vs. a year of post-partum experience.

Aug 12, '12

But I would not be working at the PP unit then. I would be working on the Med Surg unit??

Aug 12, '12

You never know what's going to happen in the future. Yes, your husband might want to move, but what is he loses his job? Or gets injured? Suddenly you can't afford to move. What if the new hospital goes bankrupt in six months and you have to look elsewhere for jobs? What if the manager at your current hospital leaves and becomes the nurse recruiter at the next hospital you want to work for?

It's NEVER a good idea to burn bridges because you can NEVER say for sure that you won't have to go back, or that the way you handle that situation isn't going to come back to bite you in the butt.

Aug 12, '12

Be very careful with what you do. Like others have said, what if you start your new job and you hate it too? I'm going through a very similar problem right now, and one month into my new job that was described to me as the best thing that could ever happen, I hate it and am way more miserable now than I was at my old job. When they say the grass isn't always greener, no truer words have been spoken. I also knew that I would never go back to my first job, but after starting the new one, I'd give anything to go back to my old job. Luckily for me, I didn't burn any bridges, but I'm also too stubborn at this point to go crawling back. Starting at square one as the new person is not very fun. People in the medical field can be very mean. As pathetic as it sounds, you need to be prepared to be treated like crap if you go for the new job. Being the outcast is horrible and it makes the day drag so much more than if you were in an environment where people treated you as part of the team. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Aug 12, '12

You worked at ABC facility for 4 1/2 years as a CNA plus 2 weeks as a new grad RN. Left (or plan to leave) abruptly during orientation to work at med-surg at XYZ hospital.

When you apply for a new job next year, are you not going to list your 4+ year employment history at ABC hospital? (most applications state they want your entire employment history and failure to do so will result in disqualification or resciding of an offer made).

So when you list your 4+ years at ABC hospital and new potential employer goes to verify employment history, if ABC hospital marksyou as "ineligible for rehire" (due to leaving 2 weeks into orientation as an RN) it won't look good to your new potential employer. They can legally state truthful information, even if it is negative, and thus can inform potential employers that you are ineligible for rehire since you abruptly left 2 weeks into your new-grad RN orientation. It can have a negative impact, even if you have a good track record at XYZ hospital working in med-surg for the next year.

Mannurse2b or everyone else- Let me ask this, does it matter about burning bridges if I will not go back there again? Because my husband wants to move in a yr or so to a different state and I know how hard it was to find a job here without experience/ especially Med Surg experience so whenever I do move I will not have that experience and make it harder to find a job. So I kind of think PP will not give me that experience. Because anytime any PP RN on my unit tries to go anywhere else they tend not to get hired because they "don't have experience."

In my experience, yes. Because when you apply to new places, they'll want to know about your past history. If you can't provide a positive reference for those 4.5 years as a CNA because you burn your bridges as an RN, you're going to have a hard time getting a job.

I would finish orientation, put in some time in PP, and then try to cross train in L&D.

Aug 12, '12

Quote from Roskarin

Since I am getting a lot of "don't burn your bridges and you might need to go back" comments.
Let me ask this, does it matter about burning bridges if I will not go back there again? Because my husband wants to move in a yr or so to a different state and I know how hard it was to find a job here without experience/ especially Med Surg experience so whenever I do move I will not have that experience and make it harder to find a job. So I kind of think PP will not give me that experience. Because anytime any PP RN on my unit tries to go anywhere else they tend not to get hired because they "don't have experience."

Also, in some states, hospitals use private companies to screen potential employees. If your name lands on the "should not hire" list, you will not be able to get a job at any hospital that uses that company.